Should Veterans feel bad about being awarded and receiving VA disability compensation for non-combat related injuries?

What is there to feel bad about?? There are people who have done or risked less than nothing for this country and by virtue of circumstances and good fortune are insanely wealthy and living comfortable lives with great health care. They would be the first to say that we didn't earn any compensation. But we veterans know better. Most, if not all, of them would have nothing, if people like us didn't spend countless days and nights far from home staying and being ready to put life and limb on the line to keep people like them safe and free.

Absolutely not

What I feel bad about is having subjected myself to the scrutiny of the VA mental health bullies...they intimidate, humiliate, accused of lying, "pooh-poohed" my Vietnam experience, scorned my evidence, disregarded my symptoms and compared me to the disabled who happen to succeed in business or become an athletic success. Instead of objectively evaluating individuals, they throw everyone into pigeon holes, categorizing us according to, what the counselor can do or has done. They reject claims and evidence and accuse me of fraud. After 40 years of fighting with them over 4+ claims, I am convinced the VA does not give a damn about vets...we are dispensable. They only use men as statistics to increase their budget and control masses of dysfunctional men and women; vets are guinea pigs...if they can cut you, drug you or dispense some worthless advice to get you out of the office, they'll do it. I played their game in all honesty and sincerity; and lost. My life is almost over and the VA will forever be indebted to my family. My records have been smeared by 1 year interns and those counselors who "did not want to hear anything negative". (and the records cannot be amended or removed even though the interns were not even mental health) Anytime I'd open my mouth, they shut me up and then profile me with a psychological category to label my intent or actual condition. I could have had better counseling advice from my car mechanic. At least, he would have been encouraging.

I feel like I earned the benefits

No; we did not select the duty, we served where ordered.

No a veteran should not feel bad about receiving benefits he earned for his service no matter what the situation. We all had a job to do and its done whether we like it or not. So, don't feel bad

Not a bit.

I know a guy who knows how to "work the system" in everything he does. He got out of going to Viet
Nam by going to Korea and only served two years in the Army. Then he "read up on how to file for VA benefits" and now has a 60% VA DISABILITY RATING AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM!!!!!! As a civilian he has filed numerous workers' compensation claims and draws significant dollars in benefits. This guy has made a nice living off "scamming the system". The VA needs to "watch out" for these type guys. Always check to see if people have a workers' compensation claim.....you will catch a lot of fraud by checking. Multiple VA and workers' comp claims should "at least set off an alarm"!!!!!!Many vets have valid non-combat injuries that come about because of their military service and they should be compensated and proud of their service.

Of course not! In my opinion you should feel bad if you don't file (if your problem originated in service) because...the US has an all-volunteer Armed Forces. Because of this, the VA is an extremely important part of our national defense strategy, taking care of people who serve because, otherwise, people will not want to join. It's a worker's compensation system.

I had to fight the VA for almost 30 years to get 10 percent. and now they finally are starting to help some. I had a head injury while on field exercise and they tell me that its only worth a small percent I filed for PTSD and they said it was not service connected. But hey have been treating me for PTSD for over 10 years. Haven't figured that out yet. I go to mental health every 3 months and have to take medicine that knocks me out almost just to be able to deal with people.